Exercise-induced asthma happens when the airways tighten during or following physical activity. It can occur suddenly and in people who have not previously been diagnosed with asthma.
It can be super scary when you’re suddenly unable to breathe after a long run or when you’re watching your child suffer from a bout of exercise-induced asthma during their soccer match, but there are ways to prevent and treat these attacks and still be active and enjoy sports.
Symptoms
Symptoms of exercise-induced asthma usually begin during or immediately following exercise. These symptoms can last for an hour or longer if untreated and can include any or all of the following.
· Coughing
· Wheezing
· Shortness of breath
· Chest tightness or pain
· Fatigue during exercise
· Unusually poor athletic performance
Sometimes children will try to avoid sports if they’ve suffered an attack of exercise-induced asthma in the past.
Triggers
While no one is completely sure what triggers exercise-induced asthma, breathing in cold, dry air seems to be the most likely culprit because it dehydrates airways. Other triggers can include:
· Air pollution
· Chlorine
· Fumes from perfume, paint, new gym equipment or carpet
· Activities with long periods of deep breathing, such as long-distance running, swimming, or soccer
· High pollen or mold count
Treatments
Your provider may prescribe a long-term control medicine like formoterol or corticosteroids in an inhaler to manage asthma or to prevent and control symptoms if your episodes become worse or more frequent.
Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone, including most people with exercise-induced asthma. In addition to taking your medicine, there are a few other things you can do to prevent or reduce symptoms:
· Warm up! Just 15 minutes could be enough to help stave off symptoms.
· Breathe through your nose to warm and humidify air before it enters your lungs.
· Cover your face when exercising in cold, dry weather.
· If you have allergies, avoid triggers like high pollen count or try to exercise indoors.
See your health care provider if you have symptoms of exercise-induced asthma. The sooner you get a diagnosis, the sooner you can get back to enjoying your active lifestyle!
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